Finding Home
by Jenn Lynne
Summary: On Hold: We all know wizards can use unknown powers when afraid or in danger, but what if someone's desperate wish to have a love one returned to them was granted? How would that loved one adapt to a New World, and new life? And what about the man who k


Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Author's Note: This is my new one. It actually started from a dream I had where something similar happened to me. I'm not sure where it's going but I can't wait to get there! I hope you enjoy chapter one, chapter two is on its way, but is only about three pages long so far.

Finding Home

Chapter One: The Desperate Wish

The streets were warm and comforting as Harry's emerald eyes searched the sky for clouds, but not a single cumulous marred the serene sky. Harry sighed deep in his chest and closed his eyes tightly against its warm perfection. A single tear leaked from beneath the tightly closed lid of his left eye. He swiped harshly at it, moving under the black frame of his glasses to scour his lid lest another have the audacity to fall. He opened his eyes again and looked before him at the streets of London.

The muggles were content, happy in there own ignorance. A young girl, no older than eight with bright blue eyes was looking up at Harry from a few feet away. _She must have seen the tear,_ Harry though. A couple across the street was looking at him too. But they were different, they hadn't seen his moment of weakness. They weren't looking at a tall sixteen-year-old with messy black hair and emerald green eyes; they were looking at Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter. Harry looked away quickly and began to walk once again. Suddenly a strange, gnawing feeling came to his stomach, then a pull. It wasn't like a portkey, it wasn't harsh or forceful, just a pull. A great white light enveloped him and he heard the collective gasp of everyone on the crowded street. Harry didn't panic, he knew what would come would come…

A loud crack shattered the air and Harry felt himself thrown backward by a strong force. His back connected with a tree, hard and aching. The air was cold and he shivered, but he didn't open his eyes. He didn't need too to know he was no longer on the muggle streets of London. The magic in the air was almost tangible and it wrapped around him like heavy curtains made of glass, ready to shatter at a sudden movement. He concentrated on the magic in the air. It was no longer just the magic that brought him here, it was the magic of individuals. He recognized Albus Dumbledore, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Voldemort instantly, but with eyes closed and senses on overdrive he could sense two more but could not identify them. He dared not open his eyes. An eerie silence had fallen over all present, but he felt that before his arrival someone had been screaming, the air was heavy like that. He didn't want this to be a dream, not again. But he knew in his mind that it was not a dream, in his dreams he couldn't feel pain, and his back told his it wasn't so here. However, he also knew that he couldn't be where he was. The people around him, couldn't be here… they were dead.

A strangled voice, dry and hoarse from screaming, or crying, spoke to his right. "Harry?"

He didn't recognize the voice consciously, but his eyes snapped open at the acknowledgement as though his very life depended on this man. He turned his emerald gaze to his right and his eyes locked with the man's. Blue met green for a long moment and Harry dared not breathe.

"Dad?" He croaked back, suddenly lost to the rest of his surroundings as a great surge of power welled up in font of him.

He heard the cold, mocking voice of Voldemort and his mind snapped back to recognize the grow in power right before the dark lord attacked. "You will not be given that!" he yelled, looking only at Harry. "Avada…"

Harry closed his eyes and blocked out the words. He knew that the curse would not work, somehow he knew that this was not his world, nor this his Voldemort. The being about to attack him had not taken his blood to be resurrected after the third task, and therefor could not harm him. He opened his eyes when he heard several people yell his name. This time he recognized the voice of his father, along with the voices of Sirius, Dumbledore and a fourth, a woman, his mother.

The green light hit him and Harry felt the dark magic of the killing curse attempt to absorb itself into him. But, as he had known, it would not work. It hit the barrier, the protection of his parent's love and was thrown back at an amazing speed, faster than before. Voldemort barely had time to move out of its way. He hissed in pain as he hit the ground hard and Harry was pressed not to laugh mockingly at him. 

"You should have realized it's true Tom…" Harry said calmly to Voldemort as he collect himself after his curse almost destroyed him. Voldemort's red eyes flashed in anger when Harry used his given name. Harry didn't bother standing. "the prophecy, I mean."

Voldemort's eyes widened a moment and then he was gone with a resonating pop that filled the air of the forest. The sky was dark and cold, unforgiving.

Harry closed his eyes again, willing himself to wake up before he began to believe. He knew it was not a dream, of course he knew that, but he was still trying to wake up. He felt a hand on his shoulder and knew instantly it was Albus Dumbledore, he didn't need to open his eyes, and he didn't. The others had made a semicircle in front of him, lookin on with apprehension. 

"Harry Potter?" Dumbledore ventured, hesitantly. 

Harry closed his eyes tighter. "Where am I?"

"I think," Dumbledore began, not noticing his question had not been answered, "that you were brought here from another dimension."

_That makes sense,_ Harry thought, _in extreme situations a wizards power can act on its own making reality the most desired wish of the wizard, escape, attack, usually urgent things. _Remus had told him that when they had been talking late one night after he had first moved in with the two remaining marauders.

"Who?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore stuttered a moment, unsure of the question. Then it dawned on him and he looked at Harry, astounded. "James."

"Dumbledore what did he ask, I don't understand?" The voice of Remus Lupin said cautiously.

Harry flinched at the voice and closed his eyes tighter, fighting tears again.

"Harry knows that a wizard, in extreme and dire situations can do magic through emotion, magic that could not be done under normal circumstances. He asked me who's magic had brought him here."

A silence followed and Harry opened his eyes enough to look through his lashes at the people before him. He knew they could not tell that his eyes were open. James and Lily stood right before him, holding tightly to each other as if the other were the only thing they had to keep themselves standing. Sirius was beside James, to Harry's left and Remus beside him. Dumbledore was on Harry's right with his hand still on Harry's shoulder.

Suddenly the air around Harry became tighter and he closed his eyes again. He felt a sharp decrease in temperature and felt the long fingers of magic tugging at him mind. He bolted upright, gasping for breath as he staggered to his feet. The crowd around him took a collective step back, Dumbledore retracting his hand fearfully. Harry opened his eyes and his panicked gaze searched the woods behind his parents' heads.

"What?" James managed in a shallow tone.

"Dementors…" Harry said, gaze unwavering. They all turned to where he was looking, but none saw or felt anything, the Dementors were too far away still for them to sense. Harry knew that if Sirius were here, his Sirius, who had spent twelve years in Azkaban, were here, he would feel it too. "There are, maybe, fifty or sixty of them." His tone was distant and his mind was focused on the steadily growing ache behind his mind.

Suddenly Dumbledore hissed. "I feel them too." He said when the eyes of the others shifted to him. "We must go, now. Back to Hogwarts."

He turned swiftly and jogged into the forest. Harry turned instantly and followed, at the same pace, some four or five feet behind. Harry felt the others behind him and focused himself on driving the Dementors from his mind. The air got colder. Harry knew the Dementors were moving faster behind them. They were gaining. Harry let out a grown and Dumbledore's wizened face turned to him.

"You can feel them better than I can. How far behind us are they?"

The recognition of Harry's power was lost to no one…

"Not far." Harry croaked, his voice breaking and eyes watering, he gasped for breath. "They are in my mind, I have to… I." And suddenly Harry was gone. In his place, running at Dumbledore's speed beside them was a breathtaking black horse. The Friesian Harry had become trotted beside Dumbledore. Its less complicated emotions were harder for the Dementors to hold onto. His black mane and tail flowed in the wind, as the wavy locks seemed to tangle then untangle as the thick strands mingled in the cold air. His large black hooves beat the ground rhythmically as the feathering above them made him appear to float. His intelligent emerald eyes looked only ahead of him, recognizing the forest and knowing the path back to Hogwarts. Above his right eye a scar marred the perfect black fur, a lightening bolt-shaped scar that had healed over and now the fur grew white there. 

The other's stared at him in shock and Dumbledore's eyes showed that even he, who had recognized Harry's strength was surprised at this.

Suddenly Harry knew he wasn't the only Animagus. James and Sirius had both taken Animagi forms to escape the threads of the Dementors' hold. Harry saw the beautiful stag lower its head as Lily took one of his antlers in her hand and swung onto his back. Dumbledore was gone too, in his place was a hawk, white and magnificent. Harry knew the only one left was Remus and that he was struggling to run with the Dementors gnawing at him mind. Harry slowed and trotted beside him. He lowered his head and hooked Remus around the stomach with his neck, pushing him onto his back. Remus, caught off guard and very confused, fumbled before pulling himself up and holding tightly to Harry's mane. The man looked like a child on the back of the massive Friesian and was soon lost in the long hair of Harry's mane as he increased speed to stay ahead of the Dementors. He saw the stag beside him leap to keep up and heard the pants of the large black dog behind him. He slowed and looked expectantly at the large dog Remus turned his head too.

"Sirius, I think he wants you to ride him too. You'll be left behind if this keeps up."

Sirius looked up, indignant at his godson's Animagus form and then remembered the last time he had seen the boy and his heart softened and his indigence wavered. Harry slowed considerably and Sirius became a human again and Remus helped him hop up behind him on Harry's back. Harry's speed increased as soon as he felt the man get balance. He glanced at James and Lily out of his right eye. James's was keeping up with him with little difficulty, though looked as if any long term running with Lily riding might not be in his best interest. Harry would have had Lily on his back too, at that moment, had he not known how close they were getting to Hogwarts.

Suddenly Harry was forced to swerve left, and James right as a large black shape appeared before them. Thousands of black shapes fell from the trees above them and Harry instantly knew where they were and who these creatures were. James was at his side again and together they swerved between the large spiders. Suddenly their path was blocked completely, and this spider was too big to dodge. Harry and James skidded to a stop and both stood panting. Harry knew Sirius and Remus had wands out, but also knew that it was no good. He reared and both fell. James's startled gaze was on Harry as he turned back into a human.

"Aragog!" Harry yelled to the spider, "We are friends of Hagrid's and are only here running from Dementors. Please, you must let us pass!"

James was standing looking at his son in awe, in his human form once again with Lily at his side. Sirius and Remus were standing behind him, looking instead at the large spider and Dumbledore landed in front of Harry and turned into his human form as well.

"You are a friend of Hagrid's?" Dumbledore yelled, the spider said nothing in return. "I am Albus Dumbledore…"

He had no need to say anymore, Aragog knew the name Albus Dumbledore and quickly told his spiders to stand down. Harry suddenly hissed and held the sides of his head. _The Dementors are here._ They twisted into the clearing amongst the spiders and Harry's mind went dark and then he screamed at the images that filled it. Usually he could fight them… but Harry hadn't been near Dementors since it happened, and he had known that these were images he could not fight. He screamed within every sinew of his being unable to stop the bloody images from taking over his vision. And then all was dark again.

Harry woke up sweating. He didn't open his eyes, for he feared what he would see. He was trembling violently and felt the tension in his throat. For some reason, through all this he felt safe and comfortable. He nuzzled closer to the warmth surrounding him and moved his hands to hold the cloth closer. His knuckles turned white with the strain but he didn't let up, he was so afraid that the warmth would leave him. It shifted and held tighter to him. Harry then realized that the warmth wasn't a blanket, it was a person. He tried to open his eyes but his lids were too heavy. He felt rather than looked, he looked for the person's magic. Their magical signal would tell him who was holding him so tightly, so safely in their arms.

Harry was shocked when he registered his father's magic and his eyes filled with tears that he held against falling. For some reason he still fought believing this place, he was still telling himself to wake up. Harry mentally shook himself and screamed within his head. _It's real! He's really alive, they're all really alive! _Harry felt James's breath in his hair and knew, in an instant, as he had known all along that this wasn't a dream, and he believed it.

A choked sob escaped him as he finally allowed his tears to fall while in his father's loving arms. He buried his face in his father's robes and sobbed uncontrollably. He was no longer the calm, powerful Harry Potter the world expected him to be. He didn't have to be that Harry, this world expected nothing from him. His fingers slackened and he knew that it didn't matter, the warmth wasn't going to leave him. This was his father, and he was going to stay.

After a few more minutes of crying Harry quieted and let his magic slide over his surroundings. He was in Hogwarts, in the Hospital Wing to be specific. Madame Pomfrey wasn't there. Standing over him and his father, who were on a bed, were the others, Sirius, Remus, Lily and Dumbledore, joined by McGonagall. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at them, sniffling slightly but not moving from his father's arms. James was propped up on the backboard of the bed, looking down at him with concerned eyes.

"What happened?" Harry whispered, not able to talk normally because of the tightness of his throat.

"The spider's helped us fight off the Dementors and we were able to escape. You fell just when they entered, screaming." Dumbledore said, a slight tremor in his voice when he spoke of Harry himself.

"I'm usually better than that around Dementors." Harry said, cheeks pink with embarrassment. "But, I've been through quite a bit very recently and…" He looked away and rested his head on his father's chest, closing his eyes.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, attempting to change the subject. "Well Harry, you'll be staying with your parents until the start of term or until we can find a way to send you home."

Harry's eyes snapped open and he sat straight up in his father's lap. He ignored the startled glances from everyone and looked only at Dumbledore. "That won't be necessary." 

"What won't" Dumbledore said kindly.

"Finding a way to send me _home_. You and I both know there isn't one, besides, I don't have a home to go back to."

Dumbledore stared at the sixteen-year-old with something like shock on his face, but also sadness and fear, fear for Harry, for whatever he'd been through.

Harry fell back against his father's chest and closed his eyes. He breathed in deeply, heavily. He wanted to stay right where he was but the pain in his throat and the ache in his stomach changed his mind. He sighed and carefully moved out of his father's embrace and stood, rubbing his head to clear away any remnants of the Dementors.

"I'm very hungry," he admonished in a small voice, "and even more thirsty if we could…"

Remus was holding a large piece of chocolate out to him and he sighed and took it reluctantly. He looked down at the lump of chocolate with something like disgust.

"I thought all kids liked chocolate?" Sirius said lightly, trying to change the atmosphere.

"I used to," Harry said in his quiet voice, "but now I can't look at the stuff without thinking of Dementors." He pushed the piece into his mouth. After a moment it dissolved. "Besides," Harry said, also trying to change the mood of the room, "it rots your teeth."

It was obvious that that was the last thing any of them had expected from this boy. With the tension released the room was engulfed in laughter. But Harry noted that two people weren't laughing. His father, behind him, only smiled and stared at him with loving eyes, proud was the only word that came to Harry's mind to describe is expression. And his mother, who stood near Remus, simply looked at him with these sad, pleading eyes, as though she wanted to engulf him in a hug forever but unsure if he would let her.

Harry smiled and moved through the crowd toward her and reached out to hug her. He had only been hugged like this twice and both times by Mrs. Weasley. The first had been after the third task and the second was more recent. But even so this was different, because this was _his_ mother. Lily's fine red hair blocked his view of everything else as she held him desperately in her arms and cried.

She was whispering something that took Harry a minute to catch. "My baby…"

Tears welled in Harry's eyes and he held her tighter. "Mom…"

Several minutes later found them all sitting around the head table in the Great Hall eating dinner. Harry had been fairly quiet throughout the meal, and had been doing everything in his power not to ravish his food. He sat comfortably in between his parents.

"So Harry," his father began pleasantly, "what house are you in?"

Harry nearly chuckled. "Slytherin."

He heard Sirius choke and felt his father's astonished eyes on him. He couldn't take it and burst out in laughter. No one laughed with him. "Come on," Harry said through his laughter, "you really think I'm a Slytherin? No."

James looked at Sirius across the table, relieved. It took Sirius a moment to collect himself. "Harry, we don't joke about things like that." He said, very somber. This caused Harry to laugh harder and this time he was joined by most of the table.

"So Gryffindor?" James said, still uncertain. Harry nodded and James smiled widely. "Quidditch?"

Harry had predicted this. He smiled and nodded, "Seeker."

"Really?" James said brightly.

"If you don't mind James," Dumbledore interrupted, the twinkle in his eye prevalent, "can I ask Harry a few things."

James nodded but Harry spoke. "Let me guess Headmaster. You want to know how I blocked Voldemort's curse," McGonagall flinched when Harry said his name, "what prophecy I was talking about and what I saw when the Dementors got near me? Right?"

Dumbledore nodded, "And perhaps how it is you came to know that spider?"

Harry nodded and took a deep breath. "Well, when I was a baby my parents found out that Voldemort was after us and hid using the Fidelius charm."

"Yes, here as well." Dumbledore told him.

"Peter was the secret keeper?" Harry asked looking at his father. James nodded.

"Well, on my world Peter told Voldemort where my parents and I were hidden and he attacked us. I was one, it was October 31, 1981." Harry observed the looks on his parents' faces and knew that this too had happened on their world. "Voldemort killed both my parents and-"

"Wait!" James yelled, suddenly panicked and looking at Harry. "Your parents are dead?"

Harry stuttered under his father's gaze. He had never really had trouble telling this story because he had never really known his parents, but saying it to them, now… "I've been an orphan most of my life." Harry stated looking away. James and Lily's eyes both filled with tears while Harry continued.

"When they… when they sacrificed themselves to save me an ancient magic protected me from Voldemort. He used the killing curse on me then and it had the same affect that it had earlier. It left me with this scar." Harry lifted his bangs to show the table the lightening bolt-shaped scar on his forehead. James took Harry's hand in his own and squeezed gently. Harry smiled sadly. "The prophecy," Harry began again, "I didn't find out about until recently. It said that I would be the one that would destroy Voldemort. Anyway, that's why he had wanted to kill me when I was an infant." Dumbledore nodded. "When the Dementors got near me I saw the final battle against Voldemort." Harry stuttered again. "It happened just a month ago, I… I don't really think I'm ready to talk about it."

He looked up at Dumbledore with tears in his eyes again. Dumbledore frowned but nodded. Harry knew that eventually he would have to tell the man what happened, but not now.

"And the spider?" Remus asked.

"Oh," Harry looked up, having forgotten that question, "I met him in my second year. The ministry thought that Hagrid had opened the Chamber of Secrets and through investigation we found out that fifty years ago when it had been last opened and Hagrid had been found with that animal that it had been Aragog, the spider, and not the creature in the chamber."

Everyone just stared at Harry. Dumbledore spoke slowly. "The Chamber of Secrets was opened in your second year?"

"Yes." Harry said, remembering that these people didn't know anything about it.

"What happened?" Lily asked.

"Well, we figured out what the creature was and where the chamber was and then went down there and killed the thing." Harry said hastily.

"Who is we?" James asked incredulously.

"My best friends and I." Harry said softly.

"So how many of you did it take to take the creature down? What was it by the way?" Dumbledore asked.

"Well our Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher, my friend Ron and I went into the tunnel leading to the chamber, but the tunnel collapse and I was the only one to actually get there."

"And what was the creature?" Lily asked, Harry knew they would not like this.

"A Basilisk."

The table erupted into sound, most scolding Harry for fighting a Basilisk by himself. Dumbledore looked at Harry curiously the whole time. _What kind of a second year can kill a Basilisk without help_, he thought. Dumbledore frowned a moment before speaking, "I have heard rumors that there is a password one needs to know to enter the Chamber. How did you know what to say?"

Harry looked frightened. _What will they think knowing I'm a Parselmouth?_ He stuttered a little, then sighed and began to speak again. "Well once we figured out where the door was we went there and tried to figure out how to open it. Finally I found something, a snake scratched onto the metal. Ron told me to say something to it in Parseltongue so I told it to open and it did. Fairly simple." Heads were nodding around the table in agreement until Remus shouted.

"Did you say Parseltongue!?"

Harry colored as all eyes turned to him. "Yes."

"You're a parselmouth?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry nodded. "You told me that you thought I got the ability from Voldemort when he hit me with the killing curse. You said that some of his power might have been absorbed into me when it left him."

Dumbledore nodded, though still in shock. Harry couldn't look at his parents, he was afraid they would be afraid of him, that they wouldn't love him.

"That's pretty cool!" James said suddenly, smiling. "You can really talk to snakes?"

After everyone calmed down they ate dessert, James and Lily were acting very differently toward Harry now; knowing that he had never had parents had affected them greatly. Dumbledore knew that there was so much more to Harry's story than he was telling them but decided to ask about it later.

After the meal James told Harry that they would be going home, to Godric's Hollow, until the start of term which was about a week away. As they left the Great Hall Harry asked his father if he could have a moment alone with Dumbledore, James complied and the two stood together in the doorway.

"Headmaster," Harry began, "what was it that brought me here? You said it was my dad, but what were the specific circumstances?"

Dumbledore smiled at the young man. "Voldemort was egging James on, then told him that he would give him anything if he would join him as a death eater. James, in his rage, screamed at the top of his lungs that he wanted his son back." Dumbledore smiled at Harry, whose cheeks colored.

"How'd he die?"

"On October 31, 1981. In the attack here Voldemort did not come alone. Death eaters held off James and Lily while Voldemort killed the baby Harry. That seems to be the only difference in our worlds."

Harry shook his head sadly. "Not the only difference headmaster, just the first one." Harry turned to leave the way his parents had, leaving a very confused and troubled headmaster in his wake.

((A/N: Please Review!))


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